Old Flames Can Be Deadly
by XxXxSlytherinPrincessxXxX
Summary: For Hermione Granger, the evening of August 23rd proved that miracles do happen, but for Draco Malfoy it just proved that some people never change, they'll always remain the same pathetic, gullible little witches that they were years ago. DMHG, R&R!
1. He's Back

**Old Flames Can Be Deadly**

Chapter 1 – **He's Back**

Tears rolled down my cheeks relentlessly. I tried to wipe them away but more followed. I stormed through the empty streets but I stopped dead when I reached a crossroads, just like my life. To my right was a crowded road with pedestrians at every corner. But I turned left to a dimly lit street with only a limited amount of shops and pubs open at such a ridiculous hour.

I sighed and leaned against the brick wall, the tears in my eyes had tamed down a bit but the burning pain in my heart remained and refused to leave.

He was actually gone. After all the Death Eaters in the world chasing him and the most powerful dark wizard of all time going after him for years, he's actually dead. And it wasn't even some random psycho killer who murdered him, it was his best friend. Ronald Weasley killed Harry Potter.

I could see that headline in the Daily Prophet for weeks. Thankfully the now insane Weasley is already locked safely away in a cell in Azkaban for using the killing curse. But of course, it doesn't matter how he did it, murdering The Boy Who Lived is a pretty big crime.

I let a few more tears flow down my cheeks before continuing down the deserted pavement.

I was 28 and now with both Harry and Ron gone, I was one of the most accomplished Aurors in history. I was also wanted for questioning in nine different states about the disappearances of two families and a Squib, who all turned out to be cold-blooded Death Eaters.

I had finally gotten my well deserved winter vacation and yet I was wasting it away on the lonely streets of New York City.

As I stumbled along the rocky sidewalk, I spotted a pub across the road which only had a handful of people but looked promising enough to give her a few shots of un-poisoned tequila. I didn't bother looking left and right as I crossed the road; I knew that no cars would be coming my way.

I threw open the door to the bar and scanned the almost vacant room for a secluded spot where I wouldn't be bothered and found the perfect place almost immediately.

I strolled over to a corner booth and slid into a surprisingly comfortable chair. My eyes gazed around the room, taking in my surroundings without really absorbing anything. I was to busy thinking about how I'd never see my best friends again unless I went and visited Ron in prison which was very unlikely to happen.

I almost didn't notice the waitress who approached my table with a tray that had a single filled glass on it.

"Um, excuse me, miss?"

I lifted my head up weakly; my voice was hoarse and rough.

"Yes?"

"This is for you." The young golden-haired waitress placed the glass on the table.

"Me? But I didn't order this."

"Oh, the young man from across the bar ordered it for you."

"Okay, well, um, thanks." I gave her a wry smile and took a sip of the drink.

My body froze.

"Champagne. This is champagne." I whispered.

"Um, yes?" The waitress looked at me tentatively as if I were mentally challenged.

"There are three people in the world who knows how much I love champagne."

"And they are?" She really didn't look like she cared but I continued nevertheless.

"One of them is dead, the other is in prison for killing him," over-sharing. Major over-sharing.

"And the third?" She asked.

I shook my head, some of my chocolate brown curls falling over my face. "There's no way he's here."

"Well then maybe that blonde over there just guessed." She shrugged.

"Blonde?" The blood drained from my face. "What kind of blonde?"

The waitress turned around and looked back at me a second late. "Looks like you're about to find out soon. He's coming over here now."

My breath hitched and my body stiffened. The waitress leaned down and whispered in my ear.

"He's gorgeous, if you don't take him I will." She winked and left, not-so-casually brushing past the approaching male.

I looked down and prayed to god that he would walk right past me, no such luck.

"What are you doing here?" I snapped, keeping my eyes on the table as a shadow fell over me.

"Now, now," Draco Malfoy drawled. "Is that any way to talk to your husband?"

"Our marriage ended a long time ago." I said with a sour edge to my tone. All traces of weariness were replaced by pure bitter anger.

"Oh no, we are still very much married, Hermione." He smirked.

"Well fine then, but I sure as hell got over you a long, _long_ time ago."

"Or so you like to tell yourself." Draco sat on the chair opposite me.

"Or so I know actually." I sniped back, Draco just smiled. I sighed. "What do you want, Malfoy? Are you like stalking me now or something?"

"Ooh, on second-name basis now are we? I bet Weasley would like that, wouldn't he?"

"Shut up, Draco! I know you know what happened so if you insist on making comments about it, be very careful what you say next, okay?"

"Oh you mean that he finally off-ed Potter? I gotta hand it to him, I didn't think Weasley of all people would be the one to kill The Boy Who Annoyed Everyone To Death." He smirked.

"That's it!" I lunged forward, whipping out my wand.

"Ah, ah, ah. You wouldn't use that in front of all these people, would you?"

"Watch me." I growled.

"Oh I will be, believe me. But so will she," He gestured towards the blonde waitress who kept throwing cursory glances at us.

I sneered but sat back in place, depositing my wand back in my pocket.

"Oh I'm sorry, was there something you wanted to ask me?" He leaned back in his chair.

"What are you doing in New York, Malfoy?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Granger."

"Well I asked first."

He nodded. "So you did." I looked at him expectantly. "Well I'm not stalking you, I'll give you that."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right."

"No really. I was surprised as anything to see you walk in here." What bugged me the most was that he was actually sincere.

"What are you doing in New York?" I repeated through gritted teeth.

"What do you think? I'm hiding." He said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"But you're not wanted by the Ministry."

Draco simply scoffed. "The _Ministry_ isn't the worst thing out there, trust me. If it were them who were after me, I wouldn't even need to hide; I could evade them no matter where I was."

"Yeah, and the fastest broom in the world wouldn't be able to circle around your ego without wearing itself out." A smug smile spread across my lips.

"Still with the insults, huh? And here I was thinking we were past all that." He rolled his eyes.

"Then who are you so scared of?"

"I'm not _scared_ of anybody." He protested but I just raised an eyebrow. He sighed and continued. "It's The Dar – it's Voldermort."

"Oh you mean the same monster who you left me to join even after he landed your father in prison and killed your mother?"

His jaw clenched. "Yes, that monster."

"Who is it?" I asked knowingly.

"What?"

"Oh come on, Draco. Ever since sixth year when you backed out of killing Dumbledore, everyone knew that murder was your one weakness. You could do anything else your precious Dark Lord wanted, you could curse, you could torture, but you could never take a life, or get one for that matter." I sniggered, _oh yes, I've still got it_. "So unless you've grown out of that and have become a gull fledged Death Eater, tell me, who does Lord Voldy want you to kill?" I asked with a Bellatrix-like demeanor about me.

The youngest Malfoy sighed and looked up at me. "It's you. And Potter and Weasley but they're already taken care of, so just you."

My mouth went dry. "Why?" Was all I managed to gasp.

He let out a deep sigh, probably thinking that that was the end of my reaction, how wrong he was.

"He thinks that you're too much of a threat. He wants me to off you so he can go about his business and know that the world's best Aurors won't be coming after me."

"So why haven't you done it yet?"

"What? Hermione, listen –"

"No! You are stalking me, aren't you? That's why you're here isn't it? So you can get me alone and kill me." My voice was barely audible.

"Hermione, I just said –"

"Well you know what, Draco Malfoy? Go to hell. And take Voldermort with you." I grabbed my coat and stood up. "Thanks for the champagne, bastard." I muttered.

I all but ran to the door but I still heard coins clink onto the table, Draco's chair scrape back and his footsteps following me.

I rolled my eyes. _This is going to be a long night_.

**AN:** So what do you think? Reviews are MUCH appreciated! New chapter will be coming soon!

XxXxSlytherinPrincessxXxX


	2. Explanations and Miracles

**Old Flames Can Be Deadly**

Chapter 2 – **Explanations and Miracles**

**AN**: Thanks for all the supportive reviews guys! Here's the second chapter, hope you enjoy it! R&R!!

I waited until I was deep in a dark empty alley and could still hear Draco's soft footsteps behind me before making my move. In a mere second I grabbed my want and whirled around, not surprised to see him just a few paces behind me.

"Whoa, hey Hermione," His hands flew in the air as if he were surrendering, as if. "Take it easy."

"Shut up, Malfoy. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"What are you going to do with that, huh, Hermione? What, are you going to kill me or something?"

"Don't think I haven't done it before."

"Oh no, I don't think that at all. I'm sure you must've. But come one, you're not going to do that to me."

"And why shouldn't I? You would've been more than happy to kill me if it would please that godforsaken father of yours or even Voldermort."

"Don't talk about my father, Granger. You didn't even know him"

"Oh, I know him well enough, Malfoy." I spat. "I've seen his files."

"You say that as if his '_files_' has really bad stuff in them. My father hasn't killed any more than –"

"Don't you mean less than a dozen people?"

Draco was absolutely speechless.

"My father isn't –"

"A monster? I think you'll find that he is, he very much is. And maybe if you come back to London I might be able to show you the files." I suggested, hoping he wouldn't get the wrong idea. I honestly just wanted him to see his father for what he truly is.

"You…want…me…to…come…back…with…_you_?" Oh yeah, he definitely got the wrong idea.

"Oh please, come on Malfoy. Try to get over your thick ego and please try to think logically. Why would I want _you_, a man who broke my heart, anywhere near me? I want you to see your father's files for your own good. You have to see who he really is."

"Don't, Hermione. Don't deny it. We both know the truth here."

"What, that you're an insufferable, ferret-like, shameless ass of a Death Eater?" I sniped.

"Hermione, I'm not a Death Eater. Death Eaters don't hide from Voldermort in America." He said calmly.

"Prove it." I snarled.

He sighed and lifted up his left sleeve. There was nothing there. Not even the slightest little mark, yet I made my brain think of an explanation.

"Magic." I shrugged.

"What?"

"You covered the mark with magic."

"Hermione, _I_ can't cover the Dark Mark. But when I leave Voldermort, the mark disappears."

"No, wait, I got it! He's banned you, exiled you or whatever and the only way you can regain your honor is if you kill me. That's why you tracked me down all the way to America."

"Look, you're making up excuses. You're trying to hide away from the truth."

"Okay, you know what, Malfoy? So what? Maybe I am, so sue me. Can you really blame me for not being able to believe that the same man who walked out on his pregnant wife in now apparently some goody-goody two-shoes?"

Draco froze.

"Did you just say _pregnant_?" His face was paler than ever.

"Yeah, four months pregnant. What, don't you remember?" I joked, and then his expression registered in my mind. "You – forgot – about – our _baby_?"

"Wha-? No! Of course not! How could you say that? There's no way I could've forgotten about our baby. How is she by the way?"

"_He_ is dead."

"What happened?" Genuine curiosity coloring his voice.

I shook my head and looked down, lowering my wand.

"Those five months were the hardest of my life. I had to deal with you leaving and a child growing inside me. Labor was without a doubt one of the most painful things I've ever experienced and I do not care to repeat it –"

"Okay, okay. But what happened to our son?"

"Your compassion is touching." I glowered at him but continued.

"I saw him for a mere 10 minutes. He was so precious, my own beautiful baby boy, I hardly believed that I created him. He had your eyes, you know. Then they took him away to wash him off and never saw him again, except his ashes. They came back to me an hour later, all solemn looking. They told me that he didn't make it, that there was something abnormal about him. It was then that I realized that I probably should've given birth in St. Mungo's. Maybe then he would've survived."

"Wait, you went to some bloody _Muggle_ hospital?!"

"Don't you dare raise your voice with me, Malfoy! You have no right to be angry with me for my choices! If you were there then I probably would've gone to St. Mungo's, but you weren't."

"So basically you're saying that because I left, our child died?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm saying!"

"Hermione, that's just –"

"The truth?"

"No, cruel."

"Well, you would know all about being cruel to someone, wouldn't you?"

"Hermione, don't be –"

"What? Difficult?"

"Will you stop interrupting me?!" Draco bellowed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, _Draco_. I'm sorry about what you became, I'm sorry for letting you break my heart and I'm sorry that I ever fell in love with you!" I cried, I ran away from his as fast and far as I could.

But I knew he wasn't far behind.

I wept in the corner of my house for Merlin knows how many hours. The heartache I was feeling at the time was almost as powerful as it was when Draco first walked out on me all those years ago.

Soon my sobs were silent, but my tears made a small puddle around me and it drenched all my clothes. It was when I just started to notice how transparent my now soaked t-shirt was when I heard a loud beeping noise.

I sighed and stood up, my wobbly jelly-like legs made it impossible for me to stand still and forced me to grab onto the nearest table for support. I hobbled over to the receiver and clicked the flashing red button.

"Miss Granger?"

"Yes, Armand?" I said weakly, my voice croaky.

"I have a, uh, Mr. Draco Malfoy here. He claims to be your husband?"

"Tell him to get lost." My words were now coated with bitterness.

"So I shouldn't let him in?"

I exhaled deeply.

"Send him up."

I waited at the door patiently. I tensed when I heard the doorbell ring.

"Hermione? Hermione, sweetie, open up. Please?"

"Don't call me 'sweetie', Malfoy. You can't steal someone's heart, tear it up into little pieces, throw it back to them and then call them '_sweetie_'." I rolled my eyes and unlocked the door.

I sat on the edge of my bed, eyeing Draco carefully as he walked through the door, closed it behind him and sat on the armchair opposite me.

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

He hesitated. "A second chance."

I scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"Hermione, I swear to you, I am not trying to kill you."

"And why should I believe _you_?"

"Because I'm your husband."

"Don't you dare ever try to use that as an excuse for anything."

"You married me for a reason, Hermione." He paused. "Come on, be reasonable."

"Be reasonable?! Be reasonable with a man who walked out on 4 years of marriage and an unborn child? Oh that's rich. That's really rich coming from _you_."

"Look, I just, I just want to start over." He muttered.

"What was that? I didn't hear."

"I just want to start over!" He yelled.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You want to _start over_? You've got to be kidding me! Listen very carefully, Malfoy, you lost your chance to start over the minute you walked out that door."

"Well isn't that just a little harsh?"

"Uh, no. Harsh is leaving your wife for almost half a decade to deal with her last two semesters _on her own_. Harsh is showing up again after years and telling that same wife that you've been ordered to kill her. Harsh is –"

"Okay, okay. I get it, I screwed up. I – I'm sorry. Okay? That's all I really wanted to do, apologize. From the second you walked in that bar, I've been trying to think of ways to say it. Of course, I never thought I'd already be in your apartment the first night of us being together." He smirked; I glared at him, un-amused.

"Why do you have a place in America anyway? I thought you were just in New York for your winter vacation."

"I've rented it for a month. Then I'm going back to London, I've got a two month holiday so when I get back I'll probably just catch up with…"

"Yes?" He taunted.

I gritted my teeth. "Ginny." I finished.

Draco actually had the nerve to raise an eyebrow and give me an I-thought-so look.

"The security guy already knows your name." He mused.

"Yeah, not a lot of people live here." I gazed off distantly.

"Why not? It seems like a nice enough place."

I turned to look at him skeptically. "Alfredro Apartments is like a million miles from nowhere."

"Yes, and in your opinion, that's the beauty of it, isn't it?" He got up and started walking towards me, but I hardly noticed so I made no attempt to stop him.

"Mmm, no one here to disturb me when I want to b left alone…"

"None of those pestering cookie-selling girls to come knocking on your door when you're busy…" Hr was sitting next to me now.

"No one here at all…" I murmured.

He edged towards me; I felt his hand on the side of my throat and then slide to the nape of my neck. He leaned towards me and kissed my cheek.

I closed my eyes, mentally begging him to stop yet willing him to go on forever. He knew the exact place where, when touched, would send jitters up my spine.

Yes, when he left me, it took me a while, but I eventually got over him. And yes, I soon came to stop thinking about him every second of every day and even stopped missing him. But some part of me always knew that I would never stop loving him, no matter what.

And now, with his lips on my skin, all those old feelings that I spent forever trying to bury started to resurface until I felt that uncontrollable desire that I felt when we first got together.

"Draco, please, stop." I begged.

"You don't want me to stop." He whispered seductively. And he was right, I didn't.

"This isn't right." My voice was weak.

"This is better than what's right." _That is so true_.

I whimpered, I've always hated the feeling of not being in control, yet when its Draco guiding me, I didn't mind so much.

He turned me towards him and kissed his way to my mouth, my lips parting instinctively. Before I knew what was happening, we were making out.

_I can't believe it_, I thought to myself, _my Draco has come back to me, _my_ Draco has come back…this is definitely a miracle._

**AN**: So, what's the judgment? Reviews are welcome!!


	3. Conspiracy

**Old Flames Can Be Deadly**

Chapter 3 – **Conspiracy**

My eyes fluttered open. I sighed in content as I remembered those glorious mornings all those years ago when I would wake up in his strong arms and would gaze at his peaceful face for ages. Just like this morning.

My heart rate raced as a scary possibility click in my brain. I jumped up out of my bed and looked down on my body.

_Oh god, did we…de we actually –?_ But I sighed and calmed down when I realized that I still had my undergarments on.

"Thank god." I gasped and clutched the side of the bed.

Draco stirred. "Hermione?" He murmured.

"Yeah?"

He caught my tone. "Still mad at me, huh? Even after that amazing night?"

"Nothing even happened, you dimwit."

"So that's what it takes, huh? For something to 'happen'?"

"No, I didn't say that."

"But you implied it."

I shook my head and sat down next to his lying figure. He gazed up at me dreamily, or that could just be curiosity in his eyes.

"Still cocky even when you're half asleep."

"Mm, well you see right through me."

I chuckled and lay down next to him. He stretched an arm out towards me and wrapped it around my waist.

"Tell me something, Hermione."

"Yes?"

"What do I have to do to gain your trust back?"

"Well, you're actually already a quarter way there," he looked at me expectantly, knowing there was more. "I guess, just…just don't leave me again. You can make up for all those years by simply staying with me now. But seriously, if you leave me again, I will hunt you down, Draco Malfoy."

He laughed and tightened his grip around me. "You don't have to worry about that, there's no chance I'm leaving you again. No one is going to take me away this time, I promise."

"Really?"

"Really really." He smiled and leaned in to kiss me. I happily accepted him at first but something in his expression made me stop.

"There's something else, isn't there?"

He hesitated. "This is probably a stupid question, but I was just wondering, have you ever regretted marrying me?"

This time it was my turn to pause. "No," I finally said. "Even though we got engaged at a ridiculously young age, marrying you was the one thing in my life that I've never regretted."

"So you've regretted becoming an Auror?" He smirked.

"Actually yes, once. When I first realized that if you were ever to kill someone, I would have to come after you."

He stiffened for a second but then relaxed.

"Hey," I put my hand on his cheek and searched his grey eyes with my own brown ones. "That never had to happen. You're no assassin."

A wave of guilt passed over his face.

"I – yes, you're right."

"I always am." I leaned forward.

"Although," he pulled away. "I do have to leave you for just five minutes."

My eyes widened in disbelief. "You've got to be –" He put his finger on my lips.

"Just to get the groceries, Hermione."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't do that to me, Draco. How did you even know that I needed to get groceries?"

He shrugged. "Sixth sense."

Draco bit his lip and then neared me. We kissed for the first time that morning.

"I'll be back before you know it, sweetheart, I promise." He got out of bed and pulled his shirt on.

Draco's POV

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it. I was a horrible person; I was a betrayer and a liar. But the worst part was that I was a _good_ liar. Hermione bought my story a lot quicker than I thought she would. But I guess when she was the one who guessed most of it herself – like the 'fact' that Voldermort wanted me to kill somebody – she can't really deny it.

Even so, I felt terrible for deceiving her, yet I couldn't help but feel a little proud of my flawless acting, I just flowed along with the story, letting it take a like of its own. For example, telling Hermione that Voldermort wanted me to kill her was both way off the planned story and the actual truth.

Voldermort didn't want her dead, but he did want _her_. The world's greatest Auror…a Death Eater. It was ingenious of the Dark Lord to think of it, however a little troublesome that I of all Death Eaters have to be the one to recruit her considering our past.

I took in a deep breath and apparated to the Malfoy Mansion where I knew the Dark Lord would be waiting.

The usual sensation of my feet lifting off the ground and my body getting squeezed and spun around consumed me until I felt the floor beneath me once more.

I clutched onto the nearest piece of furniture to help regain my balance, I never got used to apparating. I composed my face and strolled down the familiar hall until I reached the main living room. The long rectangular table was already half full with the Dark Lord at one head and Aunt Bellatrix at the other. Yes, Aunt Bella, who's now like a hundred years old, is one of Lord Voldermort's favorite and most loyal Death Eaters, mostly because she's been serving him for over two decades and hasn't been back in Azkaban and obviously hasn't been killed yet.

I took a seat next to Greyback whose eyes were darting in between all the newly recruited Death Eaters with a permanent sneer on his face.

"Ah, Malfoy. You're back, with good news, I presume?" The Dark Lord's voice had that usual snake-y sort of ring to it.

"Of course, my lord," I bowed my head respectfully. "There has been progress. I have almost completely gained her trust."

"Good, good. For those of you who don't know, Draco here is working on recruiting our newest member," he paused for dramatic effect. "Hermione Granger."

A series of murmurs flew around the table.

"But sir!" One shouted. "She's an Auror!"

"She's the best Auror ever!"

"She'll never join us!"

"Silence!" Lord Voldermort's voice boomed. "As it happens, I am aware of the challenges and difficulties that this decision suggests which is why I have asked Malfoy to complete it. If he can't do this, no one can, at least not without force."

My body stiffened. I specifically remembered Voldermort promising, well, assuring really, that absolutely no harm would come to Hermione. That's the only reason I agreed to do this in the first place.

Aunt Bella's high, squeaky, nervous laugh echoed around the room.

"My Lord," she bowed her head. "Not to be disrespectful or doubting, but do you not know of Draco and Granger's…past?"

"Actually I do which is another reason why I chose Draco. Had anyone else tried to approach her, they would've been locked in a cell in Azkaban by now. But no, I wouldn't risk that, Draco knows her weaknesses, he know how to _bend_ her."

I looked down; there was something in his tone that I didn't like, something that implied danger, something evil,

"Anyhow," he clapped his hands together like a little girl. "Draco, you should be getting back to her, oh and," he waved his hand and two brown paper bags appeared. "Take those back to her."

I bowed my head and grabbed the bags. "Thank you, my Lord. I shall be back tomorrow. By the end of the week, Hermione Granger shall be yours." As soon as I said those words, I regretted it. The end of the week was in three days, I doubt I could convince the world's best Auror to become a Death Eater in that time.

I apparated to Hermione's door. I turned the knob and to my surprise found that it was unlocked. I entered the apartment and was immediately greeted with the sight of a tear-stained face.

"You disgust me." Hermione spat.

**AN:** So that's the third chapter. I meant to post it yesterday but I got sidetracked. I have some bad news, I will be traveling for two weeks so I won't be able to update very regularly, but as soon as I get home I'll bombard you with a bunch of chapters ^_- Reviews are loved!

xx


	4. The Locket Ruined Everything

**Old Flames Can Be Deadly**

AN: **I know it's been like three months, and I'm very sorry. I've been ridiculously busy with exams and I've been travelling a lot. So, the 4****th**** chapter starts...now**

Chapter 4 – **The Locket Ruined Everything**

The bags dropped to the floor. I stared at her completely dumbstruck. _What happened here? Did she know? But how could she possibly know?_

"Hermione?" I approached her cautiously.

"Don't touch me." She said through gritted teeth.

"Hermione," I repeated, "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Your little plan just flew out the window, that's what happened." Her eyes narrowed.

"Plan? What plan? What are you talking about?"

She just rolled her eyes. "You're pathetic, Malfoy, you know that?" She strode over to me in a few quick steps.

Hermione placed a hand over the golden chain around my neck and tugged on it. The locket that was attached to it slipped out from under my shirt.

My eyes widened as realization dawned on me. How could I be so stupid? How on Earth could I have forgotten about the _locket_? I felt like cursing myself into oblivion.

"I never took mine off." Hermione reached under her blouse and pulled out a locket that was identical to mine but hers had the initials _DM_ engraved in it while mine had _HG_.

"Well? Are you going to come up with some lame excuse that I won't believe anyway, or not?"

"Hermione," I shook my head "I never meant to hurt you, and if you were listening properly you would've known that."

"Hurt me? Do I look hurt to you? I skipped that stage and went straight to pissed off!"

I looked at her tear stained cheeks sceptically.

"Okay, so maybe I'm a little hurt, but can you blame me? Do you have any idea what I'm feeling right now?"

"Betrayed?" I suggested.

"Damn straight I feel betrayed! How could you do this to me? _ME?!_"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? It was a mistake, I –"

"A mistake?! Uh, no. What you did, or at least tried to do, that wasn't a mistake. But trusting you again, letting you walk through that door, now _that_ was a mistake."

"Hermione, please! We can sort this out."

She sighed and looked down.

"You know what, Draco? Get out. I never want to see your face again."

"You don't mean that." I said confidently.

"Oh really? Is that what you think? Well, I guess you probably know me better than I know myself; you seem pretty damn sure you can change my entire life and turn it upside down. Did you really think I would fall for it? Did you really think_ three days_ would be enough to turn me into one of _you_?"

Then a thought occurred to me.

"Wait, what? Hermione, what are you on about?" I tried my best to put on a confused and lost expression.

She threw her hands up in frustration. "Just give it up, okay?! It's OVER! You are NOT turning me into a Death Eater! I would rather _die_ than become a follower of Lord-freakin-_Voldermort_! "

My eyes widened. "Hermione, I never meant to turn you into a Death Eater."

"Oh no," she countered sarcastically "you only meant to hand me over to your beloved Dark Lord like some raw piece of meat that he could _bend_ however he wanted."

_Damn, she knows a lot._ "No, no, no! You've got this all wrong. Look, this isn't how I wanted to tell you...but...the thing is...I've sort of..."

"What? You've sort of what?"

"Snape has always been more of a father to me than Lucius...even though we've had our doubtful moments; I've looked up to him my entire life. And when he was killed, I - well I just got pissed, so I decided the only way I could honor his memory in the only way I could was to follow his footsteps...and that's exactly what I did."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hermione started getting suspicious, but it was unlikely that her suspicions were in the truth of my story.

"Well, without Dumbledore, Snape, Potter, Black or even Weasley, the Order was starting to fall apart. The remaining resistance began panicking; they needed someone they could reunite under. So I joined the Order of the Phoenix, with of course questioning and a hell of a lot of doubts, but eventually they let me in. And with all my additional knowledge of the Dark Lord's plans, the deaths within the Order decreased slowly, and soon they put two and two together and realized that since I joined, their lives have been a little easier. This was all a while ago, over a year ago, and by now, I'm on pretty good terms with the Order and have sort of become...their own personal comforter and knowledge-provider...kind of like Snape."

Hermione took a deep breath and deliberated. "How do I know you're not lying to me, like you were last night...and what about this Death Eater business?"

"Last night, I had to report something back to _him_, and I couldn't very well lie to him. You know I'm not a good liar," that itself was a lie, "and he would just see through it anyway, you know, use Occlumency or whatever."

"What do you mean you're not a good liar? You've been lying to him for the past year haven't you?" God, gaining trust from this woman was hard work.

"But then I wasn't directly lying to him, I was just not telling him the truth. If he were to ask me if I've been secretly siphoning off information to the Order for the past year, I wouldn't last more than a minute. What would give me away would probably be the excess of compliments."

"Oh yes, I remember that. You'd change the subject to the stunning magnificence to the person in question."

"Exactly, and he wouldn't buy it for a second. That's why I've been so 'utterly faithful' to him recently. That's why I was going to fake handing you over."

"Wait, _fake_?"

"Yes, of course. What, you actually thought I was going to _hand you over_ to V-Vold...Voldermort? Come on, Hermione."

"Well I wouldn't put it past you."

"Now that just hurts." I sat on the edge of the bed and she sat next to me.

"I was going to tell you either today or tomorrow, it depended on how long it would take for you to believe me. The Order and I devised a plan, they miss you, Hermione. You're the world's best current Auror, they _need_ you. And now is a bloody cruel time to leave them, I have to say. And so, we decided I would drop incredibly subtle hints to Voldermort about how absolutely wonderful you are and how useful you would be no matter who's side you are on, and eventually he decided that it wasn't a bad idea to have the best Auror alive working as a Death Eater under his rule. Then began _the quest_."

"So...the reason you found me in that pub really was because of Voldermort?"

"Oh honestly Hermione, out of all that, that was all you got?"

"Answer the question, Draco."

I sighed. "No, he really did give me a break from trying to find you. So I decided to come to New York to spend my Christmas. You would not be able to imagine the disbelief I felt when you walked in. I didn't even see you at first, but when that smell hit me...daisies, freshly mown grass, roses...toothpaste...I knew it was you."

She looked down and started twiddling her thumbs, I knew what this meant, doubt. I moved closer to her.

"I won't ever hurt you again, Hermione, I promise." And I meant it, I didn't intend on hurting her, maybe manipulating her just a bit, but not hurt her.

"So what is it exactly that you want me to do? What about when Voldermort finds out that this was all a lie?"

"That's the part that I was most worried about, not because of him, but because of you. The Order have sort turned a little…savage, they're a little more bent on revenge now, and it's understandable I guess. Basically, they figured, tricking the infamous Dark Lord into letting an Auror in disguise into his band of followers might help them a bit in the defeating of Voldermort."

"So you want me to become a fake Death Eater so I can help unlock his secrets and eventually kill him?"

"Yes." I breathed, this may be easier than I thought.

A soft smile played at her lips. "Well why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"I didn't know –"

She held up her hand and cut me off. "Can you give the Order a message for me?"

"Sure." I looked at her uncertainly.

"Tell them I'm sorry…for leaving them." She took a deep breath. "And tell them I'm especially sorry because I won't be returning."

"Wait – but –"

She silenced me again. "I know they need help, I know they're suffering, and I also know that you're not helping them. Draco, you're an amazing wizard, more than that; you're cunning, deceitful, an annoyingly brilliant liar…and powerful. If the Order really did have you on their side, they wouldn't need me. None of them would still be in danger if you were as dedicated to them as you pretend to be, or at all." She closed her eyes as they started welling up with tears.

"I would go back to them," she whispered, "but then you would know exactly where I would be. And I can't have that. I'm not going to pretend that I hate you, but I don't love you anymore, not in the slightest. I have to thank you though, after today, it's not going to be so easy to lie to me. I'm sorry if Voldermort gets mad at you for not being able to go through with the plan that you hoped to complete, looks like you'll have to make up for another of your failures with a death." She finally opened her eyes.

I was staring at her, my words wouldn't form. I couldn't speak. I literally couldn't, my throat was too dry.

And in a second, she was there, her brown hair hanging over her shoulders and face, her eyes gazing at me and, surprisingly, not filled with hate – but then, before I realized what was happening, she was gone.

*~*~*~*~*~

_3 and a half hours later_

I waited for the tears to come, but, surprisingly, they didn't. I could feel my heart trying to rip its way out of my chest, but even more surprisingly, that didn't happen either.

I rest my head against one of the metal chains and sighed. I kicked off from the ground and swung my legs back and forth, in motion with the gentle rocking.

As usual, it took me forever to get from my apartment to here; it took hours to get past all the protective charms over this place. Some random person off the street would wonder why anyone would bother, it was just a meadow built on a desert, but to me it was so much more.

I had been coming here since I was a little girl, the first time I came it was purely an accident, and I left with scars. When it became apparent to the person who owned this place that anyone could enter, even a 7 year-old Muggle-born girl, he decided he couldn't have it, and he cast charms and spells over the entire area.

I had forgotten about the meadow for about 5 years, the message he sent me to never come back cut into me loud and clear, but then, at the age of 12, when I first started to fall in love with a certain Malfoy, I figured this was the place to ponder over it.

When I found out the owner had died two years previously, I was surprised as hell to find myself crying over his death. I had no idea why, he slashed me with an invisible knife, I bled for an entire day, I cried for an entire week, he attacked a little girl and I actually felt bad when he died.

It took me while to figure out that the reason I cried was because I felt sorry for his loss. He created the most magical place I know and he'd never be able to visit it again, well, maybe in the afterlife, but what fun was there in that?

But then I realized that there was nothing stopping me from entering this meadow except the protective charms. Somehow the owner was powerful enough to cast spells that would hold long after he died, I doubt he counted on me coming back though.

The meadow soon became my favorite place in the whole world, I only used to come here like 2 times a year, but gradually my visits became longer and more frequent. This was the place that Draco kissed me for the first time in our summer holidays between 6th and 7th year. This was where Draco proposed to me. This is where I came to mourn over Draco leaving me. And this is the place I considered killing myself when I lost my child.

I had too many memories here to ever be able to leave it permanently. Unfortunately, Draco knew how attached I was to the meadow, and he had a vague idea of where it was and how to get in. I knew it was only a matter of time before he found me here and started interrogating me on how I knew what knew, and of course, trying to be all sincere and caring at the same time.

What was I supposed to say? He knew the magic of the locket, he knew I knew when he meant what he said, and he knew I knew exactly what he was plotting. It was exactly what I heard, Voldermort wants me on his side, and he's willing to use Draco to get to me. He must be desperate.

I let my thoughts trail away with me, constantly diverting to whether or not I should fake being a Death Eater, without Draco knowing of course. But as soon as it entered my mind, I pushed it away, I couldn't do it, it would give Draco too much satisfaction.

My gaze drifted over the meadow that stretched before me, and once again, as usual, I found myself mesmerized by its beauty. The entire area was built on a desert, and if you walked a couple of miles from the centre, you would start to see the rest of the desert on the outskirts of the flowers and grass. The meadow was a perfect oval and in the middle there was a circle where the grass and flowers had been cut off or were never grown to begin with. This circle was pretty huge and the ground was the original desert land that it used to be before it got tampered with. Within the circle was a simple set of swings, there were only two of them, but they were ridiculously strong and nothing you could ever do would make them budge. Once I managed to do a 360° flip on the swing…it hurt.

I snapped back to reality when I heard a slight _pop_, I could tell it was coming from far away but because of the deathly silence, it echoed around me loud and clear. I knew what this meant, showdown time.

**AN: **So what's the verdict? Was this a complete waste of time? Is anyone even going to read it after it took me months to update? I know there are still some questions unanswered, but remember, there is another chapter coming. Speaking of which, I'll put it up after I finish writing a chapter each for The Last Brother and Ice and Fire. Yes, I have a routine, one that I fully intend to stick to So, REVIEWS ARE LOVED!! Even ones that aren't so love-filled…

**XD**


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